Wout van Aert will skip the opening rounds of the cyclocross World Cup in late November, delaying his return to the discipline until early December at the earliest, according to Belgian national coach Angelo De Clercq.
The Visma | Lease a Bike rider has not finalized his complete winter schedule. While he wants to race, his exact start date depends on training camps and his condition, Wielerflits reported.
Waiting for Ruddervoorde and Training Camps
De Clercq indicated that Van Aert will definitely miss the first two World Cup manches scheduled from November 27 to November 29, as reported by WielerNieuws. That timeline pushes his earliest possible comeback to December 6 at the Superprestige cross in Ruddervoorde.
Kurt Vanneste, secretaris van de cross in Ruddervoorde, schat de kansen dat Van Aert daar van start gaat op fifty-fifty. “Naturally we are fervently hoping for Wout’s arrival. From his second home in Knokke-Heist, Ruddervoorde is not that far,” Vanneste told HLN.
Plans could shift quickly because Van Aert leaves for a team training camp in Spain with Visma | Lease a Bike on December 8. If he bypasses Ruddervoorde, his return will likely wait until the World Cup weekend on December 19 and 20 in Antwerp and Koksijde.
World Championships Status Remains Unclear
Despite strong enthusiasm from the rider, his participation at the World Championships in Oostende on January 31, 2027, is not guaranteed. De Clercq cautioned that the decision will only be made after the busy holiday racing period.
“The conversation I had with Wout at the road World Championships in Canada and the interviews I read taught me that he is enormously keen to cross,” De Clercq said. “But of course he also has to take certain other factors into account. What organizers want to offer concretely, how the team sees it with a view to his road season, which remains the absolute priority, et cetera.”
Another hurdle involves his UCI ranking. Because a crash and subsequent ankle fracture in Mol cut short his previous winter campaign, Van Aert missed ranking points and may have to start from further back on the grid if he does not contest enough World Cup events to secure a spot in the top 16, according to Wielerplaza.
“Wout is wise enough to realize that he also needs the condition to be able to compete with Thibau Nys, Tibor del Grosso and co.,” said De Clercq, as cited by In de Leiderstrui.
Wout Van Aert Faces Uncertainty Regarding His Starting Position
Why is Wout van Aert’s starting position at the World Championships in doubt?
An ankle fracture sustained during a crash in Mol limited him to just five cross races last winter, causing him to lose ground on the international UCI ranking.
How many World Cup races does Van Aert need to improve his grid spot?
Bondscoach Angelo De Clercq schat dat Van Aert minstens vier Wereldbekermanches zal moeten afwerken om een goede startpositie op de eerste twee rijen te bemachtigen.
When does Van Aert leave for his team training camp?
Van Aert travels to Spain for a training camp with Visma | Lease a Bike on December 8.
Next Steps in December
Van Aert’s next official checkpoint arrives on December 6 with the Superprestige cross in Ruddervoorde, pending a final decision on his early-December racing schedule ahead of his departure for Spain.
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